smith



` (No Model.)

E. A. SMITH.:

BUCKLE.

PauoentedJune 19 UNTTED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

EARL A. SMITH, OF VAIERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO DVIGHT L. SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,936, dated June 19, 1888.

Application iiled April 23, IESS.

To all whom t may concern..-

Beit known that l, EARL A. SMITH, of \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new Improvements in Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a front view of the buckle coniplete; Fig. 2, a rear view ofthe same; Fig. 3, a side View of the same; Fig. 4, a top view of the same; Fig. 5, a vertical central section showing the strap or suspender in place and engaged; Figs. 6 and 7, modifications in the construction of the back.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of buckles adapted specially for suspenders, and in which the frame is made of tubular forni, so that the suspender or strap passes through the frame, the frame being provided with a lever having a jaw within the tubular portion of the frame adapted to engage the strap.

In the usual construction the frontand back of the tubular frame are made in planes parallel with each other and distant from each" other considerably more than the thickness of the strap or suspender, in order to permit/the jaw of the lever to work within the frame upon the suspender. The result of this is that the upper edge of the back portion of the frame, being a considerable distance inside of the inner surface of the suspender, offers a wearing edge to the garments, so as to create a serious objection to this otherwise desirable class of buckles. Again, the same difficulty occurs from the arm of the lever below. rIhis being usually upon the inner surface of the frame and generally parallel with the plane of the back, its lower edge offers a like wearing-surface or obstruction to the easy movement of the buckle upon the garments.

The object of my invention is to overcome these ditticulties; and it consists in inclining the hack of the frame upward and toward the front of the frame, and also inclining the arm Serial No. 271,554. (No model.)

attached to the front byits two ends, and may 'i0 be made as apart of the front brought into tubular shape, the back B being parallel with the front and so as to form a tubular frame, as seen in Fig. 4:; but instead of making the back B in l a plane parallel with the plane of the front, 63`

the plane of the back is oblique to the plane of the front-that is,.it inclincs upward and outward toward the front, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5, the upper edge being distant from the front only sufficient for the convenient intro- 7o duction of the suspender or strap to the frame. In the back a lever, D, is hung in the usual manner, its jaw E being in the line where the back is most distant from the front. The lever D inclines downward and forward toward the front, so as to lie upon the suspender or strap and present an oblique surface, substantiall y like that of the back of the frame B above, and so that as the suspender or strap F is introduced through the frame, as represented in Fig. 5, there is sufficient room within the frame for the operation of thejaw, but yet the exposed edge of the back is brought into substantially close contact with that side of the suspender or strap and the lever in a like position, so that the usual wearing-points of the buckle are avoided. rIhe central projecting line of the back forms a smooth rounded surface and serves as a guard for the buckle to prevent wear upon the garments. As represented, the lever is hung in the lower edge of the back B, the back being inclined upward and outward,while the lever is inclined downward and outward; but the frame maybe made with a double-inclined back, as seen in Fig. 6, with a longitudinal slot, G, through which the lever is introduced, asin many buckles of this class; but under this construction there is the same doubleinclined surface upon the back of the buckle to form the guard and prevent wear upon the garments. In some cases the lever is arranged upon the front, so as to clamp the suspender against the back. In such eases the back is inclined both upward and downward, as represented in Fig. 7. In any case it will be observed that the upper portion of the back of the buckle presents an upward and outwardly inclined surface, while the lower p0rtion presents a downward and outwardly inclined surface, which constitutes theessential feature'of this invention. YIn some cases the lever is arranged in the upper part of the frame, so that the lever turns upward in grasping instead of downward. This being a common and wellknown construction, it is to be understood therefore that I have used the terms upward downward,7 rearward, front,77 back, and similar terms only as a convenience in illustrating the invention, and not as indicating a necessary position of the parts.

I claim- 1. The herein described buckle, the frame composed of the front A and the back B, the

combined with an L shaped lever hinged to one of the said parts, and so that its jaw will extend toward the opposite part and with the said opposite part form a clamp within the tubular frame to engage the strap, the plane of the said back being inclined upward and toward the front, so as to contract the opening through the tubular frame at its upper edge, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described buckle, the frame composed of a front, A, and back B, united at their ends to form a tubular frame through which the strap passes, the back inclined upward and toward the front ofthe frame, so as to contract the opening through the frame toward the top, combined with an L-shaped lever hinged to the back, and so that itsjaw\ 

